Taking courses through CEL

A student in Physics and Astronomy department may need or want to register for courses through the College of Extended Learning (CEL), either because the course is only available through CEL, or because the student is not yet
"matriculated" (enrolled in a degree program at SFSU).

Some courses are offered exclusively by CEL, and registration for these courses must be done through CEL; it is not possible to register for these classes through the normal registration process for matriculated students. Examples of such courses are Sci 614  Scientific Writing, and Astr 216 - Observational Astronomy from the Sierra Nevada.

The Physics and Astronomy Dept. also reserves a few seats in certain introductory Physics and Astronomy courses for CEL students. These "section-within-a-section" arrangements can be confusing, and it's easiest to think of them just as reserved seating for CEL students. These show up in the time schedule as "Z" sections; that is, Physics 232 section Z02 would be for CEL students who are in enrolled in what would be Physics 232 section 02 for regular students. Normally, matriculated students would not enroll in a "Z" section, since they would have to pay tuition to CEL to do so. In some cases, however, it may be less expensive for international students to enroll in Z-sections through CEL rather than in regular sections as a matriculated student. There may also be cases in which Z-section enrollment  gets a student a seat in a course in which no regular university spaces are available, although our department generally will arrange to make room for a physics major or graduate student.

Finally, there is "Open University." Any regular university class may be taken through CEL on a space-available basis. Obtain a form from CEL and bring it to the first class meeting. If there are spaces available (after matriculated students are registered) and you meet the prerequisites, the instructor will sign your form and thus admit you into the class. Again, this arrangement would normally not be appropriate for matriculated students.

Note that up to six units of courses taken through CEL may be counted toward the MS degree in Physics.

For more information on registering through CEL, go to their web page.

For more information on Open University, visit the open university web site.